Posts Tagged ‘Football’

Employees shouldn’t be afraid of the off switch. Those who are overworked are oftentimes less productive and generally less happy, but time off can provide renewed energy to return refreshed and ready to take on whatever may come your way. For example, this season, find some time to enjoy the outdoors with family and friends. Keep reading to learn more.

As the summer is winding down, you are probably finding yourself preparing for fantasy and college football, bracing for pumpkin spice everything, and seeing the school buses out and about. Before you transition to your fall routine, it’s important to take a moment to reflect on the summer months.

The months of June, July, and August are synonymous with family vacations. School’s out. The weather is warm. The beach seems to be calling your name. Did you take advantage of the vacation time this year or was your work laptop nestled in with your luggage? You know, just in case…

If you are like a lot of business professionals, you have probably found yourself suffering from an inability to unplug from work. In the age of smartphones and laptops, we are finding ourselves more connected than ever before. And this increased connectivity has made it harder than ever to unplug from our professional selves.

It’s important to remember that your vacation is part of your compensation package. Not only do you work hard to earn a paycheck, you work hard to earn time away from the office – which means you’ve also earned the luxury of completely stepping away from technology – but it’s not going to be easy.

I recently read an article from CGMA Magazine that outlined five tips to help professionals getting more out of their time away from the office. In fact, the tips were so good that I wanted to pass them along!

Embrace a pro-vacation cultureIf your employee handbook and company culture call out the importance of vacations, embrace the mantra and take the time allotted to you to recharge. Vacations aren’t just great for you, they can be very good for business as well! Well-rested employees are happier and more productive. So go ahead…book your next trip guilt free!

If you fail to plan, you plan to failIf you are planning a two-week family vacation, you probably have a good idea when you will want to take it. Your employer should be kept in the loop too. Oftentimes, managers have no problem with long vacations – as long as they have enough time to plan for your absence. Once you have settled on which dates you need to take off, share that information with your manager and colleagues. It’s also good practice to set aside some time to meet with you manager on your first day back. This will help you catch up on important projects or issues you may have missed.

Delegate workWork with your team to determine who is best suited to take the lead on key projects while you are out. This will help mitigate interruptions in productivity while you are away. Your vacation can also serve as a very important gauge for managers, as they will have an opportunity to evaluate whether the second-in-command might be ready to assume more responsibility in the future.

Turn off the light…and the phone…and the laptopIf you want to make the most of your vacation, set up your out of office email message and step away from the tech. If you don’t, you will be drawn into its bright, electronic glow. Managers have to be ready to play a huge part in changing the company’s culture. If checking in with work is necessary, establish one short window each day when you’ll be reachable and stick to it.

Relax!While you are on vacation – regardless of how long or short it may be – you are allowed (and expected) to put your work worries aside. Once you do, you will return to your job feeling more energized and ready to tackle tough projects.

In other words, employees shouldn’t be afraid of the off switch. Those who are overworked are oftentimes less productive and generally less happy, but time off can provide renewed energy to return refreshed and ready to take on whatever may come your way.

If you are planning on taking some time off work this fall, take advantage of these tips. But if you are holding out for next year’s summer vacation with the family, save this article and make it a point to refer to it again later. That way, the next time you leave work for pleasure you will be able to unplug from technology and vacation like a pro!

“There’s always next year …”

Paul DePodesta has just been announced as the Cleveland Browns Chief Strategy Officer to assist in rebuilding the team. Can big data help the Browns like it helped the Oakland A’s?

Since 1999 that phrase has been uttered so many times in reference to the Cleveland Browns it should have been declared Ohio’s state motto. Well, it’s now 2016 and it looks as though next year might finally be THE year. Why am I so optimistic? Because the day after the Browns cleaned house, the franchise announced who would step in as the new Chief Strategy Officer to help rebuild the team – Paul DePodesta!

Some of you may have no idea who this guy is. But stay with me here while I explain why the news of the Browns hiring DePodesta may have changed the way I look at a team that has done nothing but bring me heartache and disappointment for more than literally half my life.

Six months back I wrote the post “The Billy Beane Approach To Business Success,” which was inspired by another lackluster sports team. One night, rather than watch the Cleveland Indians withstand another defeat, I chose to watch a baseball story with a much happier ending.

If you’ve seen Moneyball then you know that Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A’s, is famous for abandoning “business as usual” and embracing a data driven approach to team building. In doing so, Beane transformed his team and began delivering results simply by recruiting players based on a single data point – their ability to get on base.

So, what does Beane’s story have to do with the Cleveland Browns and Paul DePodesta? Everything. DePodesta, also known as Beane’s right-hand-man, is the guy who first identified the data that went on to drive the Oakland A’s success!

It looks like the Dawg Pound is scheduled for a renovation after all and that “next year” may finally be here!

Now the question is: what data driver will be the key to turning the Browns into a winning team?

What Drives Your Business’s Success?

Take a play from the Browns’ new strategy, your priority should always be defined by what is driving your business’s success and you can’t afford to let yourself become bogged down by business as usual. If you are finding that you are becoming more and more distracted, it may be time to take a fresh look at your organization and refocus on what’s important. Let go of everything else.

This is something the management team at Rea can speak a lot about. The firm recently rolled out its new strategic plan, which calls for all 200+ employees throughout 11 offices across the state of Ohio to focus on a singular driver. Today, all employees are able to clearly identify how their position impacts the firm’s ability to be successful and, together, we can work to deliver real, measurable results.

Are you ready to make a change and develop a winning strategy? We can help. Email Rea & Associates to speak to someone who can help you identify and assess your company’s drivers.

In the meantime, I don’t know about you, but I will be eagerly awaiting the announcement of the Browns’ new GM (general manager.) Maybe it will be Kevin Costner –he did a great job for the Browns in Draft Day. The Browns do have the number two draft pick of 2016. Anything can happen.